In a chromatograph mass spectrometer, in which a chromatograph and a mass analyzer are combined, a sample is temporally separated by the chromatograph in the first stage, and then the separated sample is mass-analyzed in the mass analyzer in the subsequent stage (refer to Patent Document 1, for example).
In the mass analyzer of the subsequent stage, a measurement is usually not performed on the entire sample that has been temporally separated and introduced into the mass analyzer. Instead, a predetermined measurement is performed only on each area of fluctuation in the chromatogram, e.g. where a peak or peaks exist. That is, the measurement is performed only on one or more time ranges.
Therefore, a time range setting operation is required to perform an intended analysis. To do so, it is necessary to prepare a chromatograph of the same sample in advance for use as a reference by the user to set which measurement is performed at which point in time.
A control application for controlling an analyzing apparatus is used to set the time ranges. Conventionally, a user enters numbers to represent the time in predetermined entry fields while referring to a reference chromatograph. An example of the screen of such a conventional analyzing apparatus control application is shown in FIG. 8. In the left column of the screen in this example screen, the chromatograph measurement time ranges are divided into the following segments: “segment 1”=[0.000-10.000] (minutes) and “segment 2”=[10.000-20.000] (minutes). Measurements “event 1” and “event 2” in “segment 1”, and measurement “event 1” in “segment 2” have been entered manually.
Hereinafter, a measurement carried out under predetermined conditions from among multiple measurements performed within a certain period of time will be called an “event.”
In a conventional chromatograph mass spectrometer, the time range for a measurement with certain conditions requires manual designation when setting the conditions of measurement for a mass analyzer, so the operation tends to be complicated, and it can cause input errors. Given this, the inventor of the present invention has already made an invention with the aim of providing an analyzing system control system which allows users to set the conditions of analysis more intuitively and simply than ever before. This invention has been filed prior to the present application and published as JP-A 2011-058982. This system provides a graphical user interface as shown in FIG. 9 and achieves such things as the effects below.
The time ranges of measurements are shown as range bars which are temporally superimposed on a reference chromatograph in a display unit (or monitor). This enables a user to immediately understand the relationship between the reference chromatogram and the measurements to be performed. Additionally, the relationships between multiple measurements that are performed on one sample are immediately visually recognized. Consequently, the burden of setting the conditions of measurements is alleviated and mistakes in the setting operation can be prevented.
The time range when the measurement will be performed can be altered by the user simply operating an input unit such as a mouse to adjust the length of a range bar or change its temporal position shown on the display unit. This enables a flexible setting of time ranges, facilitates operation, and also ensures a reduction of mistakes in the setting operation compared to the case where time ranges are set manually.